Shows / For You The War Is Over
For You The War Is Over
'For You The War Is Over' is a podcast all about the history of Second World War Prisoner-of-War escapes.
First and foremost, these are true adventure stories; tales of human courage and endeavour.
In each episode we look at a new POW escape and the story behind how they were captured, what their lives were like in the POW camps, and how they escaped. We also look at the lengths they went to in order to prepare for their escapes, and the challenges they faced and overcame in pursuit of their…
Episodes
- For You The War Is Over
Major Robert 'Bob' Challoner
Major Bob Challoner had served, and lost an eye, during the First World War, winning the Military Cross. However, that injury did not stop him from…
- For You The War Is Over
Warrant Officer Claude Weaver
A Spitfire pilot from Oklahoma, USA, Claude Weaver had only just turned 19 when he was shot down over Sicily in 1942, he escaped from the horrendous Campo 21…
- For You The War Is Over
Corporal Norman Hogan
Corporal Norman Hogan didn't let injury and capture in France 1940 stop him from making repeated escape attempts, including some time spent in the hands of the…
- For You The War Is Over
Rifleman Jack Collarbone
One of the very last escapes of the entire war, Jack Collarbone would make four escape attempts in total during his three and a half years as a prisoner of…
- For You The War Is Over
Pilot Officer Donald Boyd
Donald Lowry Boyd is one of those remarkable individuals who not only escaped captivity but he would also successfully evade capture altogether on an entirely…
- For You The War Is Over
Raider Francisco Gerónimo
Sean Scullion, author of "Churchill's Spaniards", joined us to tell us all about the incredible life of Francisco Gerónimo, AKA Frank Williams, a Spaniard who…
- For You The War Is Over
Series 9 Intro
Welcome to Series 9 of For You The War Is Over. We are delighted to be back after the bumper 'Great Escape' series, and to bring to you a brand new series with…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Reflections
Having asked our guests - families, biographers, researchers, historians, and others - for their reflections on the Great Escape, we felt it only fair that…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Sagan Select Subway Society
It is a little known aspect of the Great Escape that many of the survivors started to hold reunions together in later life, which Bob Nelson styled the "Sagan…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - The history book on the shelf...
There have been many books written on the Great Escape, whether looking at the story of the escape itself, like Brickhill's original, or the investigation, or…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Movie
The long-term impact of the Great Escape film cannot be underestimated, remaining in people's consciousness, and entering into worldwide popular culture. We…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Paul Brickhill
Without Paul Brickhill the Great Escape would not be as famous a story as it is, as his book in turn led to the film, which led to the worldwide fame the Great…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Great Escape Trials
Russell Kent, author of "The Curiohaus Trials" joined us to tell us about the Great Escape trials which were held in Hamburg's Curiohaus to prosecute the…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - RAF Police Investigation
Paddy Flint, former RAF Police Officer and relative of Great Escape Big X, Roger Bushell, joined us to tell us all about the RAF Police Investigation into the…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Bob McBride
Bob McBride was the last man to exit tunnel Harry on the night of the Great Escape, indeed his head was popping out of of the mouth of tunnel when the guard…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Leonard Trent VC
Leonard Trent was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the mission in which he was to be shot down and taken prisoner of war. For the Great Escape…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Michael Moray 'Mick' Shand
Mick Shand was the last person out of the tunnel to get away from the camp, and he was on the run for several days before he was eventually recaptured. We were…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Alfred Keith 'Skeets' Ogilvie
Inspired by Charles Lindbergh to take up flying, 'Skeets' Ogilvie was one of “The Few”, as a veteran of the Battle of Britain. He would be one of the last to…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Laurence Reavell-Carter
Laurence Reavell-Carter was a two-time Olympian who represented the United Kingdom at the 1936 Berlin and 1948 London Olympics. However, in between those two…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Ian Cross
RAF Historian, Dai Lawrence, from 'Tales of the Air', joined us to tell us about the life of Ian Cross, his illustrious family history, and who overcame a…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Charles 'Chaz' Hall
Guido Almekinders joined us to tell us about Chaz Hall, a photo reconnaissance pilot who had trained to be a photographer before the war, but he had to bail…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Porokoru Patapu 'John' Pohe
Porokoru Patapu Pohe, known as 'John' or 'Johnny', was a true trailblazer, being the first Maori pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the first to attack…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Tom Leigh
Tom Leigh was Australian born, but spent most of his life in the UK. A tragic life story, he was to experience the loss of both his parents in childhood, while…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Alastair McDonald
One of only two Scots in the Great Escape, Alastair McDonald was an inveterate escaper who took part in nine different escape attempts while a prisoner of war…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - George Wiley
George Wiley was one of the youngest Great Escapers, just 22 when he escape, having required his father to sign his enlistment papers. Jean-Michel Turcotte, a…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Brian Evans
Brian Evans had a short but very eventful operational career, but he was to utilise his pre-war surveying skills for the Great Escape, helping to estimate the…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Albert Hake
Although Albert Hake was an NCO, as a Spitfire pilot the Germans assumed he must be an officer, and so they promoted him to an officers rank when they captured…
- For You The War Is Over
Bonus Episode - L/Cpl. George Arnold (Special Guest: Damien Lewis)
For the launch of his new book, "SAS: Great Escapes Five" we were re-joined by author and historian, Damien Lewis, to share with us the story of Lance Corporal…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Harold Milford
Harold Milford managed to survive a bad crash landing in Northern France, from which his pilot managed to make a ‘Home Run’ back to the UK, while he ended up…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - John Francis 'Jack' Williams
The second John Williams to take part in the Great Escape, Jack, as he was known, was a keen amateur actor who took part in 'amdrams' and musical theatre plays…
- For You The War Is Over
Bonus Episode - W.O. Ralph Corps (Special Guest: Malcolm Gaskill)
Ahead of the paperback release of his book, "The Glass Mountain", we were joined by Malcolm Gaskill for this bonus episode to discuss the escape of his uncle…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - James 'Cookie' Long
We were joined by the current Commanding Officer of 9 Squadron, Wing Commander Chris Pearson, to share the story of James 'Cookie' Long. Long was a crewmate of…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Richard Anthony Bethell
We were joined by Rafe Bethell, the son of Richard Anthony 'Tony' Bethell, to tell us about his life as a pilot, Great Escaper, Rugby 'Barbarian' and his life…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Michael Casey
Michael Casey became a prisoner of war very early on, and so became involved in many escape attempts, including one in which he escaped with the future Carry…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Alastair 'Sandy' Gunn
A Photo Reconnaissance Spitfire pilot from Scotland who was shot down while photographing the Tirpitz in Norway, he would become a tunneller and escape with…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Alfred Thompson
Shot down before his native Canada had even declared war on Germany, he was taken to meet Goering as one of the very earliest Allied servicemen to be taken…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - William 'Bill' Cameron
We were delighted to be joined by three members of Bill Cameron's family, his daughter, Vanessa, his son, Fraser, and his nephew, Ron, who kindly shared his…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Cyril Swain
Inspired by his uncle’s service in the Royal Flying Corp during the First World War, Cyril Swain became a pilot even before the outbreak of the Second World…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Robert Campbell 'Bob' Stewart
Robert Campbell 'Bob' Stewart worked for a tunnelling company prior to the war - a useful employment to have as a future POW escaper - before being shot down…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Bob Nelson
Patrick Nelson joined us to tell us about his father, Bob Nelson, whose experience as a mechanical engineer was put to good use by the carpentry team for the…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Dick Churchill
Dick Churchill's sons, David and Roger, join us to tell us about the long life of their father, the last surviving Great Escaper. He had originally been due to…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Jack Grisman
A crewmate of Johnny Bull who was shot down at the same time as the first man out of the tunnel, Grisman would also become an enthusiastic tunneller for the…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Pat Langford
Langford enlisted very early in the war, but was shot down on only his second operation, suffering severe injuries. The Canadian had the unique role of…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Roy Langlois
A Guernsey native, Roy Langlois was manning the guide rope from the woods when the tunnel was discovered, and so was captured at the mouth of the tunnel. We…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - George McGill
Having enlisted only nine days before his wedding, he bailed out after a flare exploded in the bomb bay. However, they succeeded in putting out the flames…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Neville McGarr
Neville McGarr was a South African fighter pilot who overcame childhood Polio to become a pilot, and then endured a three day march across the desert with no…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Paul Royle
Holly Harris, a young academic whose work looks at Allied Prisoners of War during the Second World War, joined us to look at Paul Royle, an Australian who was…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Edgar Humphreys
Edgar Humphreys was one of three ‘Halton Brats’ involved in the Great Escape, and he was also one of the two murdered Great Escapers who had been known…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Denys Street
Peter Sinclair joined us to recount of Denys Street, the son of the Air Ministry’s Permanent Secretary at the time. He was both a tunneller and a ‘penguin’…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Leslie Brodrick
Leslie Brodrick served under Wing Commander Guy Gibson, of 'Dambusters' fame, before being shot down, being sent to Stalag Luft III and was one of the 26 to…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Henry 'Hank' Birkland
Laura Imrie, a Curator at National Air Force Museum of Canada joined us to look at the life and escape of Henry 'Hank' Birkland, himself a Canadian, and one of…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Gordon Brettell
Gordon Brettell was something of an adrenalin junkie! A pre-war racing driver in his spare time, he was a Fighter Pilot who completed over 100 sorties, before…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Henri Picard
Karel Strobbe, a Belgian historian and author, joined us to look at the life and escape of the Belgian artist, forger, and a member of the 'Amiable Lunatics'…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Wlodzimierz Adam Kolanowski
Chris Wroblewski, from the Kresy Siberia Foundation, retired Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, a history undergraduate at University of Calgary, and…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Jens Müller
Jon Müller, the son of Jens Müller, joined us to share the story of his father's life and escape. As one of only three Great Escapers to make a 'Home Run' this…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Per Bergsland
Per Bergsland, also known as 'Peter Rockland', was one of just three Great Escapers who managed to complete a 'Home Run', getting to neutral Sweden with his…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Albert Armstrong
Tony Hoskins looked into the life of Albert 'Shorty' Armstrong, about whom there is very little publicly available information, but with the help of his…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Sotiris Skantzikas
Sotiris Skantzikas, the only Greek Great Escaper, was the escape partner of Jimmy James, but there is very little information available about his life…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Bertram 'Jimmy' James
Former RAF pilot, Colin McGregor, joined us to look at the life of Bertram 'Jimmy' James, who was an inveterate escaper, survived not only the Great Escape but…
- For You The War Is Over
The Great Escape - Antoni Kiewnarski
Tony Hoskins looks into the life and escape of Antoni Wladyslaw Kiewnarski, a highly decorated Polish airman, who served in three different conflicts - First…